[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[June 8, 1993]
[Page 820]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 820]]


Statement on Signing the Government Printing Office Electronic 
Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993
June 8, 1993

    It is with great pleasure that I sign into law S. 564, the 
``Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement 
Act of 1993,'' which will enhance electronic access by the public to 
Federal information. Under this Act, the public will have on-line 
computer access to two of the major source documents that inform us 
about the laws and regulations that affect our daily lives: the 
Congressional Record and the Federal Register. With recent advances in 
information technology, we can go beyond the costly printing of tons of 
paper documents without diminishing the quick and accurate delivery of 
important information to the public.
    As Vice President Gore and I announced in our February 22nd 
statement, Technology for America's Economic Growth, A New Direction to 
Build Economic Strength, we are committed to working with the private 
sector to use technology to make Government information available to the 
public in a timely and equitable manner. Federal agencies can make 
Government information more accessible to the public, and enhance the 
utility of Government information as a national resource, by 
disseminating information in electronic media.
    For many years, Vice President Gore has been a leader in this area. 
He introduced the Senate version of this Act last year and worked 
closely with Chairmen Charlie Rose and Wendell Ford and others on both 
sides of the aisle to refine the Act.
    This important step forward in the electronic dissemination of 
Federal information will provide valuable insights into the most 
effective means of disseminating all public Government information. The 
system to be established by the Government Printing Office (GPO) will 
complement, not supplant, commercial information services and Federal 
agency information dissemination programs. Likewise, it should not 
supplant existing GPO mechanisms of information dissemination to the 
private sector. Indeed, the lessons learned from this program will be 
used by Federal agencies to develop the most useful and cost-effective 
means of information dissemination. To do this, the GPO initiative must 
be coordinated with related projects in the Executive branch.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,
June 8, 1993.

Note: S. 564, approved June 8, was assigned Public Law No. 103-40.